Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-02-23
SIEGE or THE ALAMO.
RecoLleCTiONS OF AN EYEWITNESS
OF THAT TERRIBLE STRUGGLE.

The Hopeless Fight of 100 Gallant Ken
tuckians Led by Coils. Travis and
BSxie-Davy Crockett's Death-Scene
After the Massacre.
In the struggle for Texan Independence
none bore "A hraver part than Col. II. l..
Crompton, Of Roxbury, Mass A reporter,
| hearing of Col Cromptons presence in the
city, sought him out. and, by the expendi-
ture of much persuasive eloquencc, induced
him to give an account Of his experience dur
ing the war Of Independence.
"ln the winter Of ISL" Col. Crompton be
gan, Il left my home in Massachusetts for the
purpose oi seeking my fortune IN the west
Ny destination was Lexington. Ky. but
| while on the Ohio river fell M with a party
| OF young men who Were on their way to join
| Col Travis IN Texas. and, carried away by
their vivid pictures of the life Of adventurous
excitement that awaited them in that Couu-
| try, joined their band without much llnowl-
edge as 10 the right or wrong Of the cause
which pledged myself to sustain Wetrav-
ele,: by heat TO New Orleans and there took
| ship for Galveston. Here we procured horses
and proceeded to JOIN the Texan forces then
| operating in the neighborhool of San Antonio
| de Bexar. Anything less like an army in ap-
pearance If would lie hard To imagine Uni
form there was none. each dressing TO suit
his own peculiar fancy, and the men were as
! various As their attire.
ENTERING SAN ANTONIO
shortly after my arrival | attached my
self to the command of that magnificent Ten
nesseean, Col, Milan, and soon became de-
yotedly attached to him. He was a man of
splendid character, without the sternness of
Travis or the strong favor of black guardism
that hung about Houston.
As soon as We had gathered sufficient
strength We attacked the Mexican forces in
San Antonio. They far outnun.bered us and
desperate struggle enSued. For days we
fought in the streets and among the adobe
houses, each OF which was miniature fort
ress. With picks and spades we duS our way
through the walls from house TO house thus
avoiding the great loss which would have re-
suited from any attempt at a direct storm
The fight for the Nereminda house was fierce
and bloody, but at last we drove the Mexi-
cans out and took possession But our tri-
umph was soon turned to mourning for
shortly after 1t was captured the beloved Nj
lam fell dead, shot by Mexican who Law
concealed behind a wall on the opposite side
OF the San Antonio river. We at length OBJ
tanned possession of the town, but did not re-
tain it long, as the advance of President
Santa Anna compelled US 10 withdraw, leav-
ing Travis. with less than $50 men, TO garri-
son the town
Il shall never forget the day when Young
Maverick rode into our camp with the news
that Travis, refusing TO retreat, was shut up
in the Alamo and surrounded by an over
whelming force
STEALING THROUGH THE LINES.
Il do not know what madness possessed me-
but when heard that Houston had decided
that he was too weak to march 10 the relief
of Travis las was indeed the easel | deter
mined TO gallop to San Antonio, endeavor to
steal through the Mexican lines and Join my
old Kentucky friends, who were nearly all
within the garrison walls reached San
Antonio without difficulty, and found that
one assault had already been made, and that
the besieged had more than held their own.
So far all was well, but in endeav oring 10
creep between the Mexican pickets was fired
upon and wounded, and owed my escape from
death to the darkness. With difficulty |
made my way to the house of Mexican
whom l had befriended during our occupa-
ton of the city, and he generously agreed to
conceal me III his house A narrow window
commanded an excellent view of one front Of
the Alamo wall, and from this point could see
nearly all Of that memorable struggle. Day
after day the Mexican fire was kept up. and
time after time We're their storming columns
hurled against the old church wall, which
formed the Texan rampant. But nothing could
disturb the calm desperation Of the defenders,
and at the close of each lay the lone star flag
hoated as proudly, and, apparently. as securely
as ever from the roof of the mission The
Mexican losses We're fearful Their clumsy
escopetas were no match for the long Haw-
kins rifles in the hands of the Kentucky and
Tennessee backwooisrnen. Hundreds fell
every day, but their los was little felt i'll that
overwhelming host, while every man of the
garrison who died was an irreparable injury
The line along the wall grew very thin, but
still there was no thought of surrender amidst
that gallant band. At length, when death
and wounds had reduced the poor handful to
half its original numbers, the Mexicans eff
fected a lodgment in an undefended portion
of the wall, and poured in by hundreds.
THE LAST DESPERATE STRUGGLE
although there was now no hope Of sue
cess. the brave Texans fought as steadily anu
firmly on the first day of the seige. From
room to room went the fight, and the puny
MeKicans learned by bitter experience what
deadly weapons bowie knives and clubbed
rifles were in the hands of desperate Ameri-
cans. But human endurance has its limits.
and at length Santa Anna was master Of the
Alamo, but not until the last American Law
cold in death. From my window l could
hear the shouts and wells and see the strug-
Cling figures. When all was over. | begged
my host 10 go into the Alamo and bring the
news OF all that had occurred He came
back in an hour or two, and said that such a
sbanIbles had never been seen. The dead
were heaped in wild confusion all over the
building, and the cutters fairly ran with
blood. In room on the ground floor was
the corpse of Col. Bowie, who had been butch
cred upon his sick bed. Not far from him
was found the brave and eccentric Crockett.
But the mn-t impressive sight was in a small
room in the upper story, where the gallant
Travis lay, a bullet hole in his forehead, sur
rounded lIy the corpses of fifteen MeXicans
who had died by his own hand OF the Tex
ans, not one survived, but they did not die
unavengei, as 600 Mexicans fell before less
than 80 Ii was well said that 'Thermopyle
had its messenger of defeat, the Alamo had
none
Il served through the rest of the war and
was at San Jacinto, but after the tale of the
Alamo all seems small and petty, and it
would be an anti-ciirlaX for me to continue
my story."-St. Louis Globe-DemoCrat.
Rivalries Of the City.
Young men who cannot succeed in the
country must no: expect success just because